Cultural Cross Sections Elena Poniatowska In this column that originally appeared in La Jornada, Elena Poniatowska considers the role of editors and talks with Diego Rabasa, founder of publisher Sexto Piso. Already precarious, the pandemic lockdown has made the plight of independent publishers and bookstores in Mexico in light of Covid-19 even more acute. To be an editor is to answer the call of the gods. It’s a vocation, a ministry, an immense privilege, to enter the Olympus of literature. To be an editor is to pick those who have talent and launch them. To be a publisher is to foretell: this one will make it. It’s also to disappoint and reject. I recall the Dutch printer Alexander Stolz in Mexico holding out to me his exquisite edition of Benjamin Constant’s Adolphe, as if it were a diamond, at the Fondo de Cultura Económica, and the paternal care that Arnaldo Orfila Reynal took with the anguished palavering of Fernando del Paso. To be an editor is to be a psychologist and to be bewildered as to how to treat each creature-author. Vicente Rojo was my editor, and we have loved each other deeply since, but I never gave him trouble. What must that genius from Pachuca named Yuri Herrera be like? What’s his soft spot? I have to handle Carlos Montemayor with kid gloves because he’s unpredictable. Federico Alvarez, director of the FCE in Spain, told me that seeing Elena Garro and Helena Paz enter the FCE in Madrid was like falling into... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-03 21:05:48 UTC ]
On July 30th, 2024, East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, California was completely destroyed by a fire. The bookstore (previously DIESEL, a Bookstore) had been in that location for thirty years. In the months that followed, its owner, Brad Johnson, began keeping a journal of thoughts. What follows... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-26 13:46:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Andrea Barrett on why writing fresh historical fiction means more than cosplaying the past. | Lit Hub Craft Bookstore owner Brad Johnson reflects on the total destruction, by fire, of East Bay Booksellers (and its rebirth!). | Lit Hub Bookstores Michael Hiltzik on how California made Ronald... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-26 11:30:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This week on The Lit Hub Podcast: How the publishing world can respond to Trump, and “What energizes you?” | Lit Hub Radio “When in doubt, leave the reaction out.” Eric Puchner on how to be funny when writing a novel. | Lit Hub Craft Ted Hamm on how Jimmy Breslin and Langston Hughes each […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-21 11:30:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Matthew Teller, whose books include Nine Quarters of Jerusalem, said the society’s response to the event which saw two leading booksellers detained was ‘an abject failure’A writer has left the Society of Authors (SoA) in protest after the UK’s largest writers’ body made a statement on a recent... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-20 17:34:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-02-19 14:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Edward Underhill didn’t plan on having his debut adult fiction book, The In-Between Bookstore, featuring a trans main character, come out six days before the Trump inauguration, but it’s kind of perfect timing. Especially since the book features a time slip, where Darby Madden meets his younger... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-02-17 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-02-12 14:00:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this
An industry analyst on book sales trends to watch this year, plus Barbara Kingsolver builds a rehab center, bookstore weddings, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-10 16:40:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The author Vivek Shraya joins the Random House Canada staff as a senior editor with a broad acquisition portfolio. The post In Toronto, Random House Canada Names Vivek Shraya a Senior Editor appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-02-10 12:40:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Over the past couple years, I’ve been accidentally moonlighting as a bookseller on Hinge. Selling books on Hinge (and occasionally Tinder, once in a while Feeld) started happening pretty effortlessly, through a few back and forths with a match. I’ve organically sold my book Women at least a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-10 09:58:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This year’s authors range from debut stars to award-winning industry regulars, writing books in a range of categories and all certain to fly off bookstore shelves. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-02-05 14:00:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Like Gold in the River: A Review of Radwa Ashour’s Granada Trilogy, by Gretchen McCullough Book Reviews [email protected] Tue, 02/04/2025 - 15:24 Background photo by Taiga / Adobe Stock / Author photo courtesy of AUC Press Years ago, I... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2025-02-04 21:24:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Don’t give in to moral panic, fellas! Here are some tips from my own bumpy literary journeyIf you really want to make a name for yourself, publish comment insisting you’ve been silenced.It happened again last week in a nationwide publication. Under a byline, accompanied by a headshot and the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-04 14:00:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
After a decade of downsizing, the beloved bookseller is seeing a resurgence thanks in part to TikTok’s #BookTok and a rise in so-called third spaces. January was a long month, but we finally have some good news in 2025: Bookseller Barnes & Noble plans to open at least 60 new stores this... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-02-03 20:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Hooray, a spot of good news! The Gotham Book Prize, given annually to recognize a new book about New York City, has just released its list of finalists. Formed in 2020 by Howard Wolfson of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bradley Tusk, who owns the indie bookstore P&T Knitwear, the Gotham Prize... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-31 16:59:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Independent bookstores in more than 30 cities across six continents will participate in the first synchronized Global Bookstore Crawl on April 26, coinciding with Independent Bookstore Day in the U.S. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-30 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-01-29 14:00:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this